LK Shields is proud to support one of Connacht and Ireland’s leading rugby clubs

LK Shields Solicitors is delighted to announce our appointment as lead sponsor of Galwegians Rugby Football Club.  This sponsorship further reflects our growing commitment to the region.  Galwegians is one of Connacht and Ireland’s leading rugby clubs with an active community of over 700 players and members.  It is a club with exciting plans for the future and, with an emphasis on supporting and developing young talent, it is an ideal partner for the firm. 

LK Shields is guided by the principles of access, opportunity and inclusion and we see all three of these values mirrored in the Galwegians male and female teams at every level.  Their vision for the future development of all players and the club is one which we share.

Commenting on the announcement, Michael Kavanagh, Chairman, LK Shields Solicitors said:  

“Galwegians are a leading club in the west of Ireland.  With a commitment to developing young talent and with an exciting vision for the future, I see real parallels between LK Shields and Galwegians.  As we continue to grow our team in Galway I am excited to see us partnering with such an impressive club and we look forward to supporting them in realising their ambitious plans for growth and development.”

Padraig Moran, President of Galwegians Rugby Football Club, said: 

“We are delighted to welcome LK Shields on board as the main sponsor of Galwegians Rugby Football Club. Like most sports clubs we are a voluntary organisation, and sponsorship is a vital source of funding to help us field over 20 rugby teams.  LK Shields is a successful and ambitious organisation who are committed to Galway, having opened their office in Dockgate last year. This makes them ideal partners for Galwegians RFC, and I would sincerely like to thank them and especially their Chairman and Galway native Michael Kavanagh.”

About LK Shields

Established in 1988 and with offices in Dublin, Galway and London, our firm has over 100 legal professional staff and a total of 150 employees.  We help our clients achieve their strategic commercial objectives and proactively advise them on harnessing new opportunities as they arise.  We are committed to adding value both in terms of business success and also through superior service to our national and international clients.  To find out more visit www.lkshields.ie.

For more information please contact: Emer Craig, Marketing and Communication Manager, LK Shields
E: T: +353 1 6385882

Dear All

As we have received a number of queries about concussion in the AIL I am emailing to outline the process by which concussions are reported to the IRFU (via the referees) and to provide each club with all the information they need to clear a player from a suspected concussion that has been reported to us.

Please ensure that this email is forwarded to all doctors and physios who work with your AIL team (men’s and women’s teams), especially on match days.

Please note that players who suffer from a suspected concussion should be removed from the field of play and must not return that day. Please see www.irishrugby.ie/concussion for information on recognising and managing concussion and for return to play guidelines.

All concussions should be reported by the team physio or doctor via the IRFU Injury reporting system (https://www.irishrugby.ie/playing-the-game/medical/injury-reporting/). This is a separate system to the referees reporting. 

Please find attached:

• The process for reporting concussions in the AIL
• The letter that you will receive (by email) when a referee reports that a member of your AIL team was removed with suspected concussion. This letter outlines how this player can be cleared to play if your medics believe that he/she did not suffer from a concussion.

The referee reporting system and the appeal system apply only to All-Ireland League matches and not to other competitions.

Kind regards 

Mairéad Liston

We are delighted to announce LK Shields Solicitors as our main club sponsor.

We will formally announce this new and exciting sponsorship in the coming days, but we would first and foremost like to inform you our members.

Established in 1988 and with offices in Dublin, Galway and London, LK Shields Solicitors has over 100 legal professional staff and are one of Ireland’s leading corporate and commercial law firms.

They opened their offices in Dockgate on Dock Road in late 2018 and from here they service national and international companies located in the western region.

LK Shields have agreed to become the main sponsor of Galwegians RFC for an initial 5-year period.

Our particular thanks to Chairman of LK Shields and Galway native Michael Kavanagh, and we would like to warmly welcome them on board.

We would also like to acknowledge and thank our main sponsor of recent years, Cold Chon, for their loyal support of Galwegians.

On my own behalf and on behalf of the IRFU, I extend my best wishes to Galwegians RFC  for the 2019-20 season and hope it is a successful one.   

The start of this season heralds the staging of the Rugby World Cup in Japan and I know you join with me in wishing every success to coach, Joe Schmidt, and his management team, together with the Ireland playing squad.   

This Rugby World Cup year creates a very busy season, taking account of Ireland’s women 15s team; the under 20s; men’s and women’s sectors; the fortunes of our provincial clubs in the Guinness Pro14 and Heineken Champions Cup and also the myriad club, women’s, third level and schools competitions through the grass roots landscapes. 

While by its nature the professional game takes precedence on the International stage, the welfare of the domestic amateur game is of paramount importance to me and to the IRFU.  

Having been chairman of the AIL and Third Level, I am acutely aware of the position of clubs and I take this opportunity to acknowledge the committed and critical role being played by our huge number of volunteers, who make it all happen.   

I greatly welcome the IRFU’s signing of a five year partnership with Energia, which sees the electricity and gas supply company become the official energy partner to Irish rugby and also title sponsor of both the men’s and women’s All Ireland League competitions. 

This year is the 30th anniversary of the AIL and the support being demonstrated by Energia is timely. It will hopefully give a lift to all clubs in the AIL, both men and women. 

I appreciate the struggles of some clubs at all levels and hope this season 2019-20 will be a special one.  I wish your club, its members, volunteers, players and supporters every success and enjoyment for the rugby year.

Nicky Comyn, President IRFU.

We at Energia are extremely proud to have further strengthened our commitment to Irish rugby by becoming the Official Energy Partner to the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and title sponsor of the Energia All-Ireland Leagues (AIL). Through our five-year partnership, we are committed to supporting rugby at all levels through the teams, clubs and competitions the breadth of the nation. 

Energia understands the value of the AIL and the importance of fostering and nurturing Irish rugby clubs so that collectively we can continue to build world-class international teams. We look forward to working closely with the IRFU over the coming years to help facilitate the future development of rugby in communities up and down the country through our new campaign #PositiveEnergy.

Through the #PositiveEnergy campaign, we will be offering tools and supports to help Irish rugby clubs reach their sustainability goals. For so many players and fans, the journey and passion begins at their local club and Energia wants to ensure the future of these clubs. If we can help them to become sustainable, the clubs can re-invest in grassroots, ultimately developing the next generation of players, coaches and volunteers.  

This is an exciting time for Energia.  We are passionate about investing positive energy in rugby, from grassroots level with the Energia All-Ireland Leagues, to provincial level as the Official Energy Partner of Leinster Rugby and our stadium at Energia Park, all the way to the highest level of the Irish Men’s and Women’s teams.

On behalf of Energia, I would like to wish all club and international teams the very best of luck for the upcoming season. 

Gary Ryan, Managing Director, Energia Customer Solutions

When did you first start playing rugby?

I joined Na Bairneachai for a year when I was 9, then took a break for a few years.

When did you join Galwegians?

I was 13.

Why did you join Wegians?

My uncle, Tim had played here. A lot of my school friends were up here too.

What are you Career Highlights to date?

Winning the Connacht Schools Senior Cup with the Jes in 2016 was pretty special. Getting a couple of caps for the Connacht Eagles while I was in the sub-academy was cool too.

Were you always a 10?

Not always. I was quite small when I was younger, so I played mostly at scrum-half until I was around 16. I haven’t strayed from out-half too often since then.

Your Favourite Player or Role Model You Look Up to?

I couldn’t name one person in particular. A few coaches and teammates have had a big impact on my playing and coaching.

What does your CCRO role involve?

CCRO is Connacht Community Rugby Officer. I’m a support coach for the youth academy, so I’d be in Glenina each evening and at the weekends helping different coaches and age groups. I also work with the underage Connacht squads throughout the year.

What are your career plans?

For now, I have my eyes set on coaching professionally. I’m studying sports science, though, so I’ll probably end up unemployed!

Your goals and ambitions for this season and beyond?

After missing the last year through injury, my main goal is to get back on the pitch and hopefully get a good run of games. If we can consolidate our position in AIL 2B this year, then we can start to build towards climbing back up the divisions over the next few seasons.